Avery felt suffocated under Elliot's fiery yet solemn gaze.

"Are you talking about leaving the recital early today?" Avery began to explain after a moment's hesitation. "My friend texted me saying that she wanted to take a photo with you after the show. I figured that you wouldn't like taking photos with strangers, and I didn't want to explain to her why we were there together."

"Why not?" Elliot asked, his voice as cold as ice.

"It wouldn't exactly be a quick conversation, would it? Besides, you and I are too different from each other. Not only in status but also… in age. Would you be willing to hang out with my friends? We can be pretty immature… Wouldn't it be annoying if they bothered you because of our relationship? Wouldn't you rather have one less thing to have to worry about?"

In truth, the true reason why she did not want him to meet her friend was because they could get a divorce at any moment. There was no guarantee that they were going to spend the rest of their lives t